All off-street parking within the General Commercial, Heavy Commercial, and Office/Research Districts shall comply with the following landscaping requirements:
(a) Landscaping for Off-Street Parking Areas.
(1) Applicability. This section applies to all parking lots in the General Commercial, Heavy Commercial, and Office/Research Districts.
A. Exemption:
1. Vehicular use areas containing less than 20 parking spaces shall be exempt from the requirements of this section.
2. Where the total parking provided is located in more than one location on a site and each location contains less than 20 parking spaces, each such area shall be exempt from this § 1260.05 if separated on all sides by at least 20 feet of non-paved area.
B. Alteration or expansion. Where a vehicular use area is altered or expanded and thereby contains 20 or more contiguous parking spaces, landscaping for the entire area shall be provided and not merely to the extent of its expansion.
(2) Perimeter landscaping. Perimeter landscaping shall be located in a perimeter strip which shall surround the entire parking lot except where adjacent to the main building and as provided in § 1260.05(a)(1)A. The edge of the parking lot shall be the edge of the perimeter strip. The landscape perimeter strip shall have a minimum width of ten feet. No parking or pavement is allowed in the perimeter strip except for intersecting drives and required walkways. One tree is required for 50 linear feet of perimeter. If a perimeter area coincides with a buffer area, buffer requirements shall control landscaping requirements.
(3) Landscaping standards in parking lots. Interior landscaping shall comply with the following standards:
A. Design. Landscape areas should be peninsular or island types.
B. Maximum spacing. The maximum distance between landscape areas shall be 180 feet.
C. Minimum landscape area requirement. The minimum square feet of landscaped area required for the interior of the entire parking area is one square foot per one parking stall or 100 square feet, whichever is less.
D. Determination of minimum required interior landscape materials. The interior landscape requirements shall be computed as follows:
Planting Requirements. See Figure 1260.05(B).
1. Credit for existing vegetation. Existing trees and shrubs may be counted toward the requirements if they meet the standards established in § 1260.07.
E. Distribution. Interior landscape areas shall be evenly distributed through the interior of the parking lot.
F. Surface. Any landscape area provided under this section shall not contain bare soil. Any ground area shall be covered with stones, mulch, vegetative ground cover, or other surface permeable by water.
Minimum width. Interior landscaped areas between parking aisles and stalls shall have a minimum dimension of 2.5 feet pervious overhang area adjacent to stalls or 2.5 feet wheel stop clearance adjacent to stalls, and a planting area that is at least six feet in width, as shown in Figure 1260.05(A).
G. Traffic visibility. No landscaping shall obscure visibility at vehicular intersections with the parking area or other areas where clear visibility is necessary to assure safe circulation. Where safe visibility is impaired, canopy trees shall have branches removed from the trunk at least five feet above the ground and shrubs or groundcover shall not exceed two feet in height. Evergreen trees and understory trees that would impair visibility for safe circulation shall not be planted in these areas.
(b) Landscaping for Off-Street Loading Areas.
(1) Screening of loading areas. Except for parcels located within industrial districts, if a there is a dock associated with the loading area of an establishment, and it is visible from a public street, then Planning Commission may require that all operations, materials, and vehicles within any loading space shall be screened.
(2) Screening of loading space. The screening material shall be at least six feet in height, 100% opaque, and must meet the following requirements:
A. Planting requirements. To be counted towards screening requirements, evergreen trees and evergreen shrubs shall be planted in accordance with the following spacing guidelines:
1. Evergreen trees should be planted 15 feet on center.
2. Evergreen shrubs should be planted not more than five feet on center.
B. Combination of materials. Plant material may be used in conjunction with fences, walls and berms but the overall effect shall be a continuous 100% opaque screen at maturity. Plants must be planted in rows or be staggered, but the overall effect shall be a 100% opaque screen at maturity.
(Ord. 12-64. Passed 3-12-13.)